U.S. District Judge Dean Whipple's decision ended court supervision of the district. He said the superintendent could now handle routine duties without consulting attorneys.

The decision came a year after Whipple ended federal oversight of school busing as well as the district's racial balance, facilities and budget.

The achievement gap between black and white students was the last portion of the desegregation plan the court was monitoring.

The case, filed in 1977, was one of a shrinking number of desegregation cases that have lasted for decades. It has cost taxpayers more than $2 billion. School attorneys and the teachers union told Whipple that the district had done enough to close the achievement gap.